The Iron Maiden and the Bird of Hermes
by IndustrialIllusion
Summary: After Walter's betrayal, Integra is left with a hole in her life, that Alucard, the No-Life King cannot seem to fill. Will Integra keep herself from what she wants the most, or will Alucard's nature prove too much for her? AxI possible Lemon Please Review
1. Chapter 1

_**The Iron Maiden and The Bird of Hermes**_

**AN: So you'll have to forgive me guys, but I don't even know how far this is going to go. I'm also very sorry to all the true fans out there that know in the true Hellsing world, AxI would probably never happen, at least not without the characters being severely out of character. So yeah, that's probably whats going to happen, but I'll try to make it as believable as possible, promise. On this one, I really need your guys reviews to let me know if I'm doing alright, or if things need to be tweaked to make it more believable. Thanks. Also, I suppose this is an AU in terms of the fact that I'm making it so that Incognito was defeated before the Millennium indecent took place. Walter betrayed Hellsing, and Integra still has her eye. Just so you're all aware. ~ Alice Forrester.**

"I suppose you've repaid your debt, haven't you, Vampire?"

The No-Life King himself grinned at me devilishly. "Perhaps a thousandfold, Master," he replied.

I stared at him blankly, he always seemed to be vaguely annoyed when I was seemingly unaffected my his purposefully menacing grins. I thought awhile "Do you pine for your freedom, Alucard?" I asked him finally.

His grin grew wider. "Yes, often, but then, if I was free, I doubt I would have nearly as much fun as I do here."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, perhaps then, in light of recent events, I will give you some freedom?" Truly, I did believe that maybe even Alucard, the resident monster of Hellsing could use some "time off." Even I had taken a small vacation, if living in bed for a week can be counted as a vacation. I figured that after stopping World War Three, everyone could use some paid vacation. I sighed inwardly. The only reason that I had not permitted Alucard to come and go as he pleased in this time of peace was because the loss of Walter had affected me deeply—it still did—and when the house had been almost completely empty, I had been reluctant to be without someone I trusted, and as much as I hate to admit it, I felt very alone without Walter, and Alucard had helped fill that void somewhat in the last month. Once, when I had locked myself in my bed chambers for the afternoon, only days following the Neo-Nazi incident, Alucard had walked right through the door and plopped a cup of tea on my bedside table. He sat in the wing back chair that faced out the window by my bed and had sat there until I drank it. Of course, it was the most dreadful tea I had ever tasted, but with Alucard, every act of kindness without ulterior motives had to be treasures, so I kept my mouth shut except for uttering a single "thank you," and drank the godawful stuff.

"Truly?" He asked, seemingly surprised.

I gave him a flat look. "With conditions, of course," I told him.

"You're no fun," he pouted.

"I know," I told him bluntly. "You are not allowed to kill anything you shouldn't kill, drink from humans, or fire any guns without justified cause, and no, because you were seeking entertainment is not justified cause."

He gave me a pouting look and rested his chin on his hand, his elbow resting on the oak of my desk. "You're making my vacation very stressful, Integra," he said, sighing with disappointment..

"Oh I'm eternally sorry," I said with a sneer.

"I'll forgive you this time," he said in all seriousness. "When does this so-called 'vacation' begin?"

I paused to think. "Effective immediately if you'd like," I told him, reclining back in my chair.

"Now?" he exclaimed with a laugh. In an instant, before I could register it in my head, he was on top of my desk, his arms supported on the arms of my plush chair, his face maybe two inches from my own. I blinked in surprise, but years of practice allowed me to stifle a yelp. "Are you going to miss me while I'm gone?" he asked, half suggestively and half mockingly.

I smiled wryly at him. Alucard seemed to enjoy these little games of his for the mere shock factor, and played them less when you didn't give him a reaction to amuse himself with.

I leaned forward and whispered seductively in his ear... "Not on your life."

He laughed to himself. "Well that's not much of a thing to put any weight on, is it?"

I shrugged. Perhaps not, seeing as how he didn't have much life in his cold, dead body, for starters. I relaxed into my chair. Alucard liked to gauge people's reactions including mine, if not especially mine. And honestly, it was hard to be unaffected by him. When he wasn't wearing his near-perpetual shit-eating grin, his smile was quite handsome, as was the rest of his face, and the charming was that his hair fell into his eyes was no accident. Alucard changed his appearance based on his master's preferences. In My grandfather's time, he was as my grandfather had found him, a menacing count, something that Abraham Van Hellsing could be proud to say he had bested. and in my Father's time, he was a lithe, doe-eyed girl—I had seen the pictures—and now for me, he was all tall lean muscle and handsome face with angular features, and of course, hair that fell so endearingly into his stupid eyes—I closed my eyes for a moment and refocused.

Alucard sat back into his chair after I gave him a look that threatened horrible things if he didn't remove himself from my desk. "You'll come around one day master," he told me.

I laughed at him, "Oh?" I asked.

He smiled wolfishly. "Of course, Master, they all do."

I arched an eyebrow. "My father and his father before him did not."

Alucard laughed. I hated it when he laughed, because he only did it when he was certain he was going to get his way. "True enough, but I've had practice since then," he said, standing up. "And besides," he moved my desk aside as easily as I would move a pillow and moved toward me, "You're different." He leaned in close again, close enough that I could smell him. My first reaction was to move away, to leave the room, but Alucard was like that, he pushed to see where your limit was, and if you broke, that was taken as a sign of weakness, and besides, running was what prey does, and damn it if I would be prey in my own house.

"You're walking on dangerous ground with me Alucard..." I said with implied threat, looking him boldly in the eyes.

He continued on anyways, seeming to be spurned on by my threat. "We all know that the reason you've preserved your maidenhead so diligently is so that one day soon you can ask me to make you-" I slapped him across the face with enough force to send a human reeling. Alucard's head only turned slightly.

"How dare you, you insolent scum," I exclaimed, standing up, pushing him away. "You will _not_ speak to your master that way." I became further enraged at how unaffected he was.

"My how times have changed. In my day, I could have run you through for laying a finger on me," he mused, seeming to be uninterested at my building rage.

I took a deep breath. "Perhaps I've been to lenient with you, Alucard. Maybe I should punish your insolence as my grandfather would have?" I contemplated.

I saw what looked like a flash of actual fear come across his face. I felt almost cruel for saying that. We both knew how my grandfather would have punished this. I knew that My grandfather frequently would beat Alucard brutally with a heavy silver rod, usually hitting him in the groin multiple times, or shoving the cruel thing down his throat. Near the end of his life, Abraham became deranged, insane, for lack of a better word. He ha always been a cruel man, but after his mind slipped away, he did unspeakable things to the servants of the house and Alucard, but especially to Alucard, because he provided endless entertainment for his wicked mind. In that time, he frequently would leave silverware sticking from Alucard's eyes, leaving him chained like that for hours.

"We both know you don't have the capacity for that," he said quietly, and slightly unsure.

I sighed heavily and allowed myself to more or less fall back into my chair. "No, I don't."

Alucard stared at me for a long time as pinched the bridge of my nose, lifting my glasses.

"If you would permit me, master, I would like to leave now," he asked, voice neutral and unreadable.

"Yes, that's fine," I told him. I watched him get up. I hesitated before opening my mouth. "And Alucard," I said, "I'll never abuse you like my grandfather did, but this can't keep happening."

He stopped and turned to face me. We looked at each other for a long time. Alucard walked back towards me, and around my desk. He leaned against my work desk and did a curious thing. He reached out a hand and ruffled my hair as if I was a child! Well, a child, I was not. I batted away his hand and fixed my now very unprofessional looking hair. For the briefest of instants, Alucard touched my face, his long, elegant fingers brushing my jawline for a moment before it was suddenly gone. I quashed the urge to lower my hand to my face where he had touched me, and instead placed my hands in my lap.

"You're to kind to a monster like me," he said, with barely a trace of that trademark Alucard sarcasm.

I didn't think he was that bad. I used to, but I'd seen that he did have a capacity for kindness, even for good, and even as h was a vampire, he still was not as deceitful as the human race had been to me. Besides, whether I liked it or not, he was the only one I had now. It saddened me. It also made me angry;angry because I felt alone and afraid. Alucard used to have the opposite effect. Having an ultimate weapon in my possession to use as I saw fit used to be intoxicating, It used to make me feel powerful. Now though, Being around him made me feel small and weak and alone, so utterly and terribly alone.

"Maybe," I said, affording him a small smile. "I'm just glad you don't give me more trouble than you already do."

His normal grin appeared on his face. "You like the kind of trouble that I bring, Master Integra."

I smiled to myself. "Remove yourself from my office before I remove you myself," I said, good-naturedly.

Alucard laughed, "Of course, _Master_," he said, thoroughly exaggerating the last word. Alucard sunk into the floor suddenly, I suppose that he deemed that doors were to much trouble when his room was three floors directly below my office

Alone again. Damn. I had felt so lonely of late, so alone in fact that I'd started spending time with Police Girl. I even went as far as commissoning her a new uniform. Essentially the same as the last one, but with a longer, more respectable skirt, and in red, to match her Master's usual attire. She seemed to have been tickled at the idea. I would be too, if I had been made to wear a stripper's outfit. I felt vaguely ashamed for making her war that ridiculous thing in the first place, the reason for which being that I was plainly jealous of her when Alucard first made her. I was jealous, thinking that Alucard would replace me for Seras, as stupid as that sounds. I felt stupid now for it, purposefully humiliating the poor girl just because I couldn't stand for Alucard's attentions to be focused on someone other than me. I had apologized to her in my own way, seeing as how my pride wouldn't allow for a direct apology.

I sighed to myself, tilting my head back and rubbing my eyes. I was tired all the time lately. Nightmares, mostly.

Stupid vampire, I thought to myself, why do I care so much about what _you _think? Secretly, I knew why I cared so much. There were two main reasons, the first of which being that he, in many ways, was my mentor. Unlike Walter, who had been my guardian, and a better father that my own Father had been to me, Alucard was my teacher, my mentor. He shaped me into what I was today, because Alucard knew what was needed to be leader. He taught me almost everything that I know, he taught me how to tie my tie when I had been fifteen years old for Christ sake, so it was natural, I thought, to want his approval, and I did. I wanted Alucard to be proud of what I had become, but secondly, the reason that I did not want to realize, was that I did have an attraction to Alucard. Whenever he was close, my breath caught in my throat, and my heart raced, and every touch from him set my senses on fire. I hated it. I hated it because I knew I could never have it—him. It was blasphemy against everything that I believed in, and a part of me didn't care.

I stood up from my chair, agitated, deciding that gong to bed was a better alternative to sitting in the dark and letting my thoughts stew. I imagined, at least, that things would be easier on me for a while now, assuming Alucard would leave tonight on his impromptu vacation, which he likely would. I walked tiredly from my office, down the hall to my bedroom, the heels of my hard soled shoes making a faint clacking sound on the hardwood floor, even through the thin runner carpet that stretched all the way down the hallway. Out of habit, I turned the knob quietly, pushing open the door and shutting it behind me just as silently as when I had come in. I felt so tired all of a sudden, like seeing my bed reminded me of how badly I needed sleep. I stripped of my suit and hung them beside the door for someone to have dry cleaned at a later date. I removed the rest of my clothing and threw it into pile at the foot of my bed, replacing them instead with a flimsy, silky nightgown. If it were just me, I would prefer to sleep in the nude, preferring to feel my cool satiny sheets against my skin, but with all the people always in and out of here, I was obligated to wear something to bed. I often thought to myself that one night I should sleep in the nude, and perhaps that would scare off any unwanted guests first thing in the morning, or at least for a couple days.

I slipped into bed, wrapping myself in the silk sheets and warm comforter, drifting into sleep easily.

_The bullet ripped through her arm, shredding it as though it were paper. Blood spattered the corpse. She screamed, clutching her arm in agony. This wasn't happening, this couldn't be happening. She looked up in terror, at her own uncle, as he stalked towards her, gun leveled at her head._

_She looked at him with the will to live, and determination in her eyes. "Uncle," she pleaded, "are you actually so desperate to claim the family title that you'd actually be willing to..." she trailed off._

"_What an astute observation, Integra." He rested the muzzle of the gun right between her eyes._

_She glared up at him, through her glasses, seeming to have no fear for the thing that could kill her, pointed directly at her brain. He smirked and put pressure on the trigger. She closed her eyes, waiting for the bang...but it never came._

_Suddenly the sound of panicked men was all around her. Her eyes snapped open, and she turned to see what they we focused on. Her eyes grew wide. The corpse! It moved! It lapped the blood that spattered the floor, looking up at them through feral red eyes. _

...vampire... _her mind whispered to her in terror._

_The thing rose, growling wildly, his arms bound behind him. With immense strength, he tore through the leather as if it were tissue_

"_It Moved! Mr. Hellsing!"_

_Suddenly, the vampire moved. It _moved_. It was faster than the eye could track, and she watched as it tore through her uncle's men, one after another, tearing them to unrecognizable shreds. She watched as the beast tore her uncle's arm off, the gun falling to the floor, the hand that held it still twitching. As her uncle fell against the wall, screaming, she stared at his arm, unable to move until she realized the vampire had turned to her. She scrambled, grabbing the gun as t came towards her. She leveled it at him. He was the image of terror. Hair white as a bone picked clean, tall and long limbed, clad in a horrible leather straight jacket that was cracked and browning with age. She stood, still focusing the gun on his head._

"_You are the one who has disturbed my rest," it said._

"_Don't come any closer to me, Demon!" She yelled_

_He continued on, a maniacal grin crossing his features, his bloody teeth bared to her. "Your sweet blood is the first I've tasted in over twenty silent years..."_

_The girl emptied five shots, into it, but they healed almost before the bullets exited his body._

_He laughed at her openly, and came towards her, planting a hand on the ball beside her head and bringing his face close enough to hers that their noses almost touched. His red eyes pierced into hers as he donned a threatening smile._

_She was going to die, she thought._

"_Those souls, who suffer their righteousness, will know their eternal inheritance," it said._

_She steeled herself and pushed the gun closer to his face. "Vile demon. I am the lord and master of the Hellsing family, Integra Wingates Hellsing, and I would die before allowing a vampire to order me."_

_He smiled wider. "That gun is useless against me. Give up little girl and-" _

"_Shut up! I would never give up! I would _die _before giving up! That is my duty, and pride, as the leader of the Hellsing Organization."_

_The thing laughed, laughed at her. "Wonderful, just wonderful!" He exclaimed. He brought his face very close to hers, she could feel his hot breath on her skin._

"_You make my blood boil, you _are_ your father's daughter!" He stepped back and did something very curious. He went to one knee and bowed to her, hi head hung. His long limbs folded behind him, white hair trailing on the floor, "Forgive my impertinence, Sir Hellsing."_

_She looked at hm in unabashed surprise._

"_Your orders, my Master."_

"_This is ridiculous," came her uncle's voice from behind the vampire, "the Brat and the Beast. I am the leader of Hellsing," he exclaimed, raising a gun taken from one of his men's bodies. "Hellsing is MINE!"_

_Bang! He fired a round at Integra. Faster than the eye could see, the vampire raised it's arm, taking the bullet for his Master_

"_Your blood rots," it said. "You are not the Master of this house."_

_The girl leveled her gun at her uncle, over the beast's arm. "What's your name?" she asked, her eyes trained on her treacherous uncle._

"_Alucard, that is the name my last Master used."_

"_Very well, then that is the name that I shall use for you as well." She looked to her uncle. "You are lucky that I grant you the mercy of killing you myself, instead of dying at the hands of Alucard."_

"_No wait!" he screamed, "I beg you!"_

_BANG._

I screamed at the bang that seemed to come from within my own chambers. I sat bolt upright, the silk of my nightgown clinging to my clammy skin. I looked around. No one. God, it had been in my dream. I leaned forward, wrapping my shaking arms around myself, waiting to ride out the tremors that wracked my body.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. I screamed again, scrambling away from the dark shape.

"Integra, it's okay, it's only me." A familiar voice said. Alucard emerged from the shadows and stepped into the pale moonlight that shone though my bedroom window.

I was to dazed for speech. I was only partially awake. My entire body shook, I had such a sense of terror that I had become practically paralyzed with fear. I don't know why this dream affected me so, but it was like this every time I had that dream. This time was somehow more vivid though. So real, as if I were reliving it.

"What's wrong, Master? I came when I heard you cry out." He asked, his voice gentle.

I shook my head. "Just...just a dream," I told him, and myself. I hugged my knees closer to myself. I felt cold. No, that wasn't it, I felt chilled to the bone.

Alucard climbed partially on the bed, gathering up the quilt and swaddling me in it as if I were a child. I considered stopping him, but in all honesty, it felt nice. He effectively cocooned me in the blanket and then climbed into the bed himself. He rested against the headboard and pulled my prone form to his chest. I didn't quite know what to do as he adjusted me to rest comfortably against him. He casually rested his right arm around me and used the other one to rub my arm through the blanket. I knew I should tell him to leave, I knew I should go to sleep by myself, but I felt my warmth returning to me, and I felt so exhausted, with my head resting against his shoulder that I decided that this was alright. This felt so good, to be held, comforted by another living creature. Oh, right, Alucard wasn't alive, was he? I suppose it didn't matter all that much whether his heart beat within him, or if he drew air into his lungs. I realized long ago that Alucard was the farthest possible thing to human, but he was the closest to human he would ever be again when he was with me. A part of me secretly smiled every time I thought of this. I guess we weren't so different. Seeing as how I was as far away from humanity as I could be while still remaining human, and he was as close as he could be while remaining anything but.

"Alucard?" I asked, more awake now.

"Yes?" he replied.

"Why is it that you care for my well being? I am your captor, your prison warden, so why don't you want me dead?" I asked this without malice in my voice; I was merely curious.

He laughed. "I'm not entirely sure, probably because I can't seem to help myself. I just do Integra. Can you tell me why you are fond of me, even though I'm supposed to be your sworn enemy?"

I thought a minute. "I suppose it's because sometimes, you're just so damn human. And also, because I can trust you with my life, and I can't say that about anyone but you now," I said sadly.

Alucard looked thoughtful. "I know, Master," he said in voice that, if I wasn't mistake, had some semblance of _sympathy_ in it. Strange. He rested his chin on the top of my head.

I closed my eyes. All I have is you now...

**A/N: What do you think? Review and tell me. Seriously REVIEW EEEEEEEETTT. Do it now. I'll give you a cookie!**


	2. Chapter 2: New Face

**A/N: I Hope you all know that you've made me very very happy with the reviews. Give me the same amount of enthusiasm this time around, and I'll continue to shoot out chapters at this pace. And for the person who asked. There will be lemon, mark my words. Just not now. U mad bro?**

I woke with a groan and a kink in my back like you would _not _ believe. I opened my eyes, and last nights events came rushing back to me. At some point in the night, we had moved to a more comfortable laying down position, and Alucard had somehow found his way under the covers. Fancy that. I laughed quietly to myself as I looked down at the shaggy head of the vampire who was resting on my chest. Mighty weapon indeed. Alucard stirred with my laughter.

"Good morning, Master," Alucard said groggily, resting his chin on my chest to look at me.

"Quite a convenient place to have rested your head, hmm?" I asked.

He gave me a look that plainly said 'get over yourself.' He rolled his eyes and said, "I was listening to your heartbeat, if you really must know, you dirty-minded woman."

Me, dirty-minded? Bah, I think not. "Just going on what I know about you, lecherous vampire," I told him.

He dismissed me by turning his head and returning it to its previous resting place. Directly on top of my breasts. I had to admit. It made me slightly uncomfortable to have him touch me there, even in a non sexual way, through the flimsy fabric of my night dress.

"Care to tell me what it was that you dreamed about last night?" He asked. I could feel his warm breath on my stomach. Funny, that was the only part of Alucard that was warm, his breath.

"You," I said, "or, the night I met you, that is."

Alucard remained silent for a long while before speaking. "Are you afraid of me?" he asked thoughtfully.

"Afraid? No. Leary of you? Yes. But I do trust you Alucard, as much as I hate to admit it."

He laughed. "Do you? Why?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I guess, it's only because I know that you'd never turn on me."

He nodded. "I suppose."

Flung the blanket over myself as the door creaked open.

"Sir Hellsing, there's—Uwwaaahhhhggg!" Seras exclaimed, seeing her Master and I in bed. I suppose if I were her, I would be suspicious myself.

"I'll just be leaving now..." she said, promptly turning on her heel to leave.

"Seras, wait," I said, "What is it?"

She looked very unhappy to be asked to stay.

She refused to look anywhere but at her toes. "Ah, Sir, a letter arrived from the Queen herself today."

"The queen!" I shot up, sending a shocked and dozing Alucard rolling off the bed and onto the floor. He landed rather ungracefully on his face, and Seras exploded with laughter

"Police Girl, you of all people," Alucard exclaimed aghast at his servant's betrayal.

I ignored Alucard's distress. "Where is this letter?" I asked.

Seras pulled a small envelope from her back pocket. "Here," she said, walking towards my bed and handing it to me.

"Thank you," I told her, "you may leave now."

Seras seemed to be glad she was being dismissed. She nodded and left, closing the door behind her.

Alucard moved back into the bed, sitting on top of the covers beside me. "From the Queen herself, eh?" he whistled. "Must be important."

I nodded and ripped the envelope open. I removed the heavy paper and unfolded the letter. The edge of the paper was embossed with gold vine patterns, and it felt cottony under my fingers. I reached to the nightstand, over Alucard, to where my glasses rested. Putting them on my nose, I read.

_Integra Wingates Hellsing,_

_It has come to my attention that with the passing of Walter C. Dornez, a hole remains in the Hellsing family that requires filling. It is the Royal Family's honor to give to the Hellsing organization one of our most loyal retainers to use as you see fit. He served as my personal guard for two years, and was, up until a week ago, operating covertly in Russia. He has proven his loyalty, and although he appears young, he is very skilled, as I assume you will test for yourself. He is the product of genetic fabrication, and an experiment subject that was seized by the British Armed Forces during an invasion of a German Laboratory linked with Millennium in 1941. Due to his nature, I have deemed it appropriate that he be sent to you, in hopes that you will be able to put his skills to better use that I. He is en route as of now and should arrive sometime this Tuesday from Russia. Your full cooperation in this matter is appreciated._

_~Elizabeth _

I crumpled the letter in rage and threw it across the room.

"Oh good, fresh meat," Alucard said.

"No, not good," I told him. "I don't need some person that I don't know if I can trust traipsing around in my own house! I can't believe that I'm stuck with what is probably going to be some experiment-gone-wrong problem child that the Queen doesn't want hanging around her anymore."

"Come now, Integra, he could be of some use to us."

I nodded, "I suppose so. But it said that he'd be here Tuesday, and that's today, if I'm not mistaken."

He nodded. "It is, Perhaps I'll stay awake this morning so I can get a good look at the new meat."

"Maybe that would be best. Just in case something goes awry, but perhaps tonight you should go..." I struggled for words. "Do whatever it is vampires do in their spare time. You are supposed to have spare time, you know."

He shrugged. "I'm content to stay around the manor during my 'spare time,' and it's not as if I have a flourishing social life that I must maintain."

"Oh, I see," I said slyly. I rolled over and put my face quite close to his. "So I guess it was _you_ who would miss _me _while you're gone, hmm?"

He smiled. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he asked. I understood now why he was enraged whenever I managed to ignore the little games he played, because he was remarkably good at ignoring mine himself.

I rolled back to where I previously sat and contemplated my nightgown clad figure. "I think I should probably get dressed."

"It's a thought," he said, making no move to leave.

I gave him a flat look. "That was your less than subtle cue to leave."

He grinned hugely. "Really? I've always been quite oblivious to social cues."

I arched an eyebrow at him. Alucard? Oblivious? Never. "Go," I said with a sigh, pointing to the door. "I need to get dressed."

He looked hurt, but his expression did nothing to conceal the amusement in his eyes. "Fine, I'll leave..." he said forlornly. I had a hard time not laughing. He looked to tragic when he was sulking, like a little boy who lost his dog. It was quite...precious for lack of a better term. Even in my head, applying such words to the well over six foot tall homicidal vampire seemed ridiculous and comical.

Alucard slipped from the bed and turned to leave.

"Alucard?"

"Yes?"

I hesitated and swallowed my pride. "Thank you." I stuck my chin out and tried my best to look dignified while in a robin's egg blue satin night gown.

He smiled, and I was surprised to see that it looked very...genuine. "My pleasure, Integra." He turned and left, walking right through the door.

I blinked. I felt flustered. My stomach had this curious fluttering feeling. It was stupid. I got this way when Alucard was like this, genuine. Hearing my name, my first name cross his lips was somehow so intimate, because for the most part, he was the only one that sometimes still called me Integra, just Integra, with no title. And that smile! That smile drove me insane. I hated it. Whether it was his devilishly handsome smile, or the much less frequent smile that declared some semblance of normal emotions, like happiness, kindness, or some other such human quality, like the one he had given me just now, they made my heart skip a beat.

I removed my glasses and shook my head vigorously, trying to clear my head. I rubbed my face tiredly. I needed to get this fixed somehow. I could not keep having these kinds of thoughts, not without destroying myself in the process. I felt like banging my head repeatedly against something. God almighty, for someone with a Cambridge education, I could be so bloody stupid sometimes.

I flung back the cover and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. I stood up, stretching myself , reaching upwards, standing on my toes. I yawned in a rather unladylike way and decided that a shower was in order.

"Good morning world." I said bitterly.

…...::::)O(::::...

I descended the stairs to the main foyer where Alucard, ever the faithful servant sat on one of the padded benches waiting for me.

"Nothing yet?" I asked.

He shook his head.

"Damn, you'd think the Queen and her people would abide by a more official schedule than they do." I tugged at my suit, adjusting it. All of my suits practically hung off me now.

Alucard frowned. "Have you eaten?"

"No," I said, not looking at him. I had not been taking care of my body since Walter died, and Alucard knew it. I had been so unhealthy in general lately. I had been so lethargic. I was always tired, seeing as how sleep usually evaded me. I couldn't bring myself to eat anymore. I'd been so sore all over for no reason all the time, and because of all these things, concentrating on anything was impossible.

"Eat something," he told me.

I gave him a look. "If I was hungry, I would eat Alucard."

He gave me an equally stubborn look back. "Integra, eat something."

"No," I told him stubbornly.

"I will make you," he said.

I became angry. That's something I was doing more and more, becoming angry. It was like I couldn't even help it, I couldn't control my rage anymore. "Excuse me? You can't _make _me do a single thing. I think you forget who is master and who is servant."

He stood up. He looked angry himself. He walked to me and stood very close, looking down at me, so that either had to look up at him, or stare straight at his chest.

"I don't have to obey any order from you if I believe that doing so would cause harm to you." he practically snarled at me.

I grabbed him by the cravat and yanked him down so that his face was level with mine. "Don't you dare use your height against me. I know how to take care of myself, you bastard, and I'll be damned if you try to tell me what I need."

He grasped my shoulders. "Obviously you can't you silly woman, because it's abundantly clear that your body is _wasting away,_ or can you really not see it happening? You can deal with loss any way you want, but _I'll_ be damned if I have to sit here and watch while you literally rot before my eyes," he told me furiously. With that, he used one arm to throw me over his shoulder and proceeded to carry me to the kitchen.

"Put me down you bloody bastard!" I yelled.

"No."

I kicked, I screamed, but all the servants and guards were given vacation time, and Seras was sleeping in the basement. I pounded my fists and knees into him to no avail.

He placed me down in a chair that sat in front of the long kitchen counter.

I made to run for it, but he forced me back sitting by placing an iron grip on my shoulders.

"Sit!" he boomed.

I did. It was hard to disagree when he was this angry. I sat there like a scolded child as Alucard tore apart the kitchen, flinging cupboard doors open. He retrieved a bowl and spoon and took a can from the pantry. I watched as he wrenched the top of the tin can off as if it were paper and dump the contents into the bowl. He pushed it to me.

"Eat."

I looked at it numbly. Alphaghetti. Really? I hadn't eaten the silly stuff since I was about ten years old. I wondered for a moment what idiot bought this. The noddle letters seemed to mock me as I sat staring at it, disgusted at the idea of eating.

"Eat it right now or I swear I will force it down your gullet." Alucard threatened.

I stiffly picked up the spoon and put a scoop of the stuff in my mouth and chewed slowly. Just like everything else, it tasted like ash in my mouth, but I kept eating, one spoonful after another until it was halfway gone. God what was wrong with me, what had I become? What was so wrong with me that even Alucard felt the need to intervene? I hadn't realized that I had been crying until I saw a tear land in the tomato sauce. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself to stop, and I wiped at my eyes with the back of my hand. The tears kept falling. Swallowing the pasta felt like swallowing stones. I dropped the spoon into the bowl and buried my face in my palms. I cried, and I was disgusted by it. I hadn't cried in years. Not even when I found out what had become of Walter. Why now. Why why why why? I would not make a sound. I used all my will and bit my lip painfully hard, and forced deep gulps of air into my lungs in an effort to calm myself. I felt the chair I was sitting in be turned away from the counter and then Alucard's hand was on top of my head, stroking my hair lightly. He gently used his other hand to lift my face, fingers under my chin, to look at him. I wanted to look away. I didn't want to be seen this way by anyone, but his gaze commanded to be met.

For the longest time, he said nothing, only looking at me and occasionally clearing away a tear with his thumb on my cheek. Then he knelt in front of me and took my hands in his, resting his forehead against them, his head tipped down.

"You know that I will be anything that you need of me, Integra, as much as I am able. If you wish it, I will be your friend, or your confidant. I can be a punching bag, or someone to be yelled at. I can be your lover, or I can be the one to force feed you if I must. You are my Queen. I will do what is best for you. Always." He released my hands and rested his cheek against my knee.

I sighed heavily. I place a hand on his shoulders and the other on the back of his head. "I don't know what I need you to do Alucard, because I really don't know what's wrong with me to begin with, but for now, I think I just...need you to be around."

We sat in silence for a while before he nodded. "Always happy to oblige." He closed his eyes a moment. "Whatever I can do."

I moved my hand in slow circles on his back, and he seemed content to stay there like that for a while. I guess I was too. To be honest. I felt...good. Happy even. I hadn't felt happy in a while. I was content to have another creature that wanted to be with me of his own free will, that perhaps even enjoyed my presence. Something else too. Something strange. I found that I felt..._hungry. _My stomach apparently seconded the notion, because it chose that moment to let loose a ferocious growl.

Alucard looked up. "Perhaps you'd like some actual food now?"

I looked away. "Yes," I said quietly. "But I think that I can get it this time."

He nodded. "Good, because I haven't cooked anything in a very, very, very long time."

I smiled at him.

I decided on eggs, scrambled, with toast, because it's very hard to foul up making scrambled eggs. Alucard seemed to be infinitely fascinated with the whole process, watching me as I moved the eggs around in the pan with a spatula, and staring at me unnervingly as I ate. I said nothing, and when I was done, I put my plate in the sink. The chime of the doorbell rang and Alucard and I looked at each other

I sorely wished that I had kept at least minimal staff in the house, so that there was at least some show of force, rather than answering the door myself in a manor rather unsuited to a noblewoman. Oh well. Alucard and I walked to the main foyer, towards the grand doors. Alucard paused and sniffed the air. "Interesting," he said to himself.

I gave him a skeptical look and opened the door.

A young boy, who looked to be no more than seventeen, eighteen at a stretch stood, giving me a bored look. Just slightly taller than me, he was blonde with the most striking green eyes I had ever seen on any creature. "Hello," he said.

"Hello," I replied. "Won't you come in?" I asked politely, opening the door for him.

He stepped over the threshold and immediately noticed Alucard glaring at him from behind me.

He glared back, and for a moment, the testosterone was so thick I could practically smell it. I elbowed Alucard in the stomach, which proved to be just noticeable enough that he blinked and looked down at me. "That will be enough of _that_," I told them both. "Please, come to my office," I told him, walking toward the stairs. He silently followed, and Alucard, like a good body guard, walked between the boy and I. I led them to my office and opened the door. I immediately regretted coming here, seeing as how my desk was still displaced from when Alucard had shoved it aside last night. I sighed and gestured for Alucard to fix it as I went and settled myself comfortably in my chair while the boy sat across from me, politely waiting until I had taken my chair to seat himself. Alucard used one hand to reposition the heavy oak desk before coming to stand at my side. Well I suppose that this was as good a show of force as any.

"Well then, tell me, what is your name?" I asked.

"The name that most use is Wicked," he told me flatly.

"Wicked," I said to myself. "Look, I'll get right to the chase. I don't have a uniform for you yet, and I don't even know what job I have for you. This was sprung on me very last minute. Quite frankly, I don't know if I can trust you, or even if you're cut out for this job."

He blinked in surprise, and then to _my _surprise, he started laughing. "Oh, I like you!" he said, still trying to stop laughing. "None of that political etiquette crap for you, huh?" I noticed that he had a mild Russian accent. "But in all seriousness, I assure you that I can handle anything that you throw at me, and it might be better if you did not give me a uniform, seeing as how I would likely destroy it." He smiled widely and it was then that I noticed that all of his teeth were pointed. I felt suddenly as if I were in the dark. I knew that he was more than human, but had no idea what flavour of supernatural thing he was.

I wondered if Alucard somehow understood my confusion, because then he explained things for me. "A werewolf, eh?" he asked, laughing. "How do we know your volatile temper can be trusted?"

Wicked grinned again. "I've had 60 years to master it." And yet again, I was the youngest person in the room.

I sighed, "Well, it doesn't really matter anyways, I'm stuck with you by Royal Decree."

The smile left his face. "I have always followed my Master's orders with loyalty," he told me.

I nodded. "I believe you, Her Majesty herself said so." I sighed. "Well, come let's find you a room," I said, rising from my chair. Wicked and Alucard followed obediently as I walked from the room. "Which floor would you prefer to stay on?" I asked him, looking at him over my shoulder as we walked.

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me."

"What, I thought you were keeping your monster collection in the basement, Sir Hellsing?" Alucard chimed in.

"No, just you, Alucard," I told him with a wry smile.

He pouted at me. Alucard had a way of doing that, pouting _at _me. Alucard liked me to know when I'd hurt his pretend feelings.

"How about this one?" He gestures to the outside facing room just as we cleared the stairs.

"Whatever you'd like," I told him, opening the door and letting him walk in past me.

Funny he should choose this one. I had always like this room for the way the sun always happily shined in through the windows that formed most of the far wall. The first two floors were almost permanently dim due to the trees surrounding the entire manor, but now that we were on the third floor, the windows were higher than the trees, and this window faced towards the town in the distance. The walls were white, and the bed was stripped of all but crisp, white sheets. "If this is the one you want, it's yours," I told him.

"Sure," he said, "this will be fine."

I nodded. "I'll have Seras bring you some sort of bedding later on, and you two can acquaint yourself. Seras Victoria is Alucard's fledgeling."

He cocked his head slightly and looked to Alucard, who was looking rather bored. "Your progeny? She must be something special."

Alucard shrugged. "She's just a little police girl, that's all." I concealed a smile. He could say what he liked, but that old coot cared for his fledgeling.

"Ah, I see," Wicked said offhandedly. Alucard seemed vaguely annoyed at him.

"Anyways, Hellsing returns to normal operations tomorrow, and all the staff will return at nine o'clock sharp. Then I suppose we can find something for you to do. Oh, and kitchen is on the first floor, raid it for what you please."

"Yes Sir," he said to me as Alucard and I walked from the room.

"Remind you of anyone? Perhaps a certain butl-" Alucard began.

I turned to face him. He stopped just short of me, standing very close, trying to intimidate me. "You don't want to finish that sentence, you Bastard," I told him.

He grinned devilishly. "Yes Master."

I turned and kept walking. No he did not remind me of anyone.

**A/N: Sorry that took a while. My mom and I took a vacation to Seattle, so there hasn't been much time to update. I guess you all thought that that last chapter was going to be a one shot, huh? But no, it's going to be a full length story friends, so review, and I'll make sure it stays that way! So DO IT! DO IT NOW!**


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